The first in-depth guide devoted to this ancient capital, one of the main sites of Vietnam, Hue, the ancient, royal capital of Vietnam, is a city remarkable in its strive for greatness and ability to achieve breathtaking beauty. Despite its many dramatic historic events, from conflicts between ancient Vietnam and the now extinct kingdoms of Champa to the 19th and 20th century French occupation and victimization during the Tet offensive in 1968, much of Hue's classical architecture survives.

The exquisite royal lifestyle is still visible in the Imperial Citadel, still reflected in the Hue Museum of Fine Arts and vividly reproduced in Nguyen mausoleums in the Valley of the Tombs. Royal Hue traces the development of this magnificent imperial capital from its humble beginnings in the 14th century until its position as a UNESCO world heritage site since 1993. The book also documents the 143 years of Nguyen rule when under 13 emperors Hue was built and rebuilt, each time grander and more opulent than the last, until in 1945 the last emperor Boa Dai handed over his Royal Seal and Sword of Mandate to representatives of the new President Ho Chi Minh.

With an authoritative and lively text by Vietnamese-British historian Dr Vu Hong Lien and evocative photographs by Paisarn Piemmettawat, Royal Hue is the perfect guide for the discerning cultural explorer to this world heritage site. Find Royal Hue on Amazon.

This work covers Vietnamese culture from its origins to the present. Vietnamese culture is heterogeneous, reflecting the country's shifting and multiple peoples over the past two thousand years. It has maintained its independent nature while at the same time interacting closely with China and other Southeast Asian communities.

The book is divided into seven parts: Vietnamese origins, the Buddhist era, the Confucian era, the Trinh-Nguyen and Tay Son eras, the Nguyen dynasty, the Colonial era, and the era of independence. Each part includes descriptions of the land, society, culture, religion, philosophy, and economy of Vietnam, as well as patterns of governance adopted from China and elsewhere.

Most of the selections are Vietnamese in origin, with some descriptions of the country by outsiders.Each part, chapter, and selection is prefaced by introductory comments, and there are chronological tables and pronunciation guides. Find it on Amazon.

Heads of state today mark their rites of passage with splendid ceremonial, from Reagan's inaugural to Andropov's funeral. Such spectacles continue to be a prominent part of modern political systems, of varied ideological hue, but their precise meaning and importance often remain unclear.

These specially commissioned essays address the central problem in the understanding of royal rituals, the relation between power and ceremonial.

These contributions, from historians and anthropologists, examine a wide range of societies. Find it on Amazon.